Swedish steel maker SSAB, iron ore miner LKAB and European renewable leader Vattenfall's HYBRIT pilot facility for the storage of fossil-free hydrogen gas is now in operation in Luleå in Sweden. The rock cavern storage facility is the first of its kind in the world for storing fossil-free hydrogen gas. The two-year test period will now start and continue until 2024, which means that HYBRIT has taken another important step in developing the overall value chain for fossil-free iron and steel production.After the inauguration of the pilot facility in June, initial pressure tests were conducted with water, which confirmed the facility’s mechanical stability, tightness and pressure capacity. The storage facility was then filled with hydrogen gas and even reached the maximum operating pressure of 250 bar. The commissioning of the pilot facility in Svartöberget has shown that the storage facility works according to its design and meets all safety requirements. The technology for the storage of gas in an underground lined rock cavern involves the cavern walls being lined with a sealing layer. LRCs have been thoroughly tested with natural gas, but the pilot facility in Luleå is the first in the world to test the technology with repeated filling and emptying of hydrogen gas.The pilot facility's size is 100 cubic meters, and at a later stage it may be necessary to keep 100,000 to 120,000 cubic meters of pressurized hydrogen gas in full scale storage. This means that we can store up to 100 GWh of electricity in the form of hydrogen gas, which is enough to supply a full-size sponge iron factory for about three to four days.The HYBRIT initiative was launched in 2016 by the three owners; SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall. The hydrogen storage facility will play a very important role in the overall value chain for fossil-free iron and steel production. By producing fossil-free hydrogen gas when there is a lot of electricity, for example when it is very windy, and using stored hydrogen gas when the electricity system is under strain, will ensure production of sponge iron, the raw material behind fossil-free steel.
Swedish steel maker SSAB, iron ore miner LKAB and European renewable leader Vattenfall's HYBRIT pilot facility for the storage of fossil-free hydrogen gas is now in operation in Luleå in Sweden. The rock cavern storage facility is the first of its kind in the world for storing fossil-free hydrogen gas. The two-year test period will now start and continue until 2024, which means that HYBRIT has taken another important step in developing the overall value chain for fossil-free iron and steel production.After the inauguration of the pilot facility in June, initial pressure tests were conducted with water, which confirmed the facility’s mechanical stability, tightness and pressure capacity. The storage facility was then filled with hydrogen gas and even reached the maximum operating pressure of 250 bar. The commissioning of the pilot facility in Svartöberget has shown that the storage facility works according to its design and meets all safety requirements. The technology for the storage of gas in an underground lined rock cavern involves the cavern walls being lined with a sealing layer. LRCs have been thoroughly tested with natural gas, but the pilot facility in Luleå is the first in the world to test the technology with repeated filling and emptying of hydrogen gas.The pilot facility's size is 100 cubic meters, and at a later stage it may be necessary to keep 100,000 to 120,000 cubic meters of pressurized hydrogen gas in full scale storage. This means that we can store up to 100 GWh of electricity in the form of hydrogen gas, which is enough to supply a full-size sponge iron factory for about three to four days.The HYBRIT initiative was launched in 2016 by the three owners; SSAB, LKAB and Vattenfall. The hydrogen storage facility will play a very important role in the overall value chain for fossil-free iron and steel production. By producing fossil-free hydrogen gas when there is a lot of electricity, for example when it is very windy, and using stored hydrogen gas when the electricity system is under strain, will ensure production of sponge iron, the raw material behind fossil-free steel.
